1. In the space below, describe the stasis at the beginning of BFE. In other words, “Where are we?” “When is it (time, day, and year)?” “Who are the people involved?” “What is the dramatic situation in which the characters find themselves as the play unfolds?”
Panny is the main character and the play is set in the nineties. It may be set in Arizona, but there is no clear indication of the location. The opening scene describes this town that has been going through multiple kidnappings of young blonde girls. Panny lives with her mom and uncle.
2. What is the intrusion that causes the stasis to be broken and the dramatic action to develop, often at an increasingly rapid pace, to the end of the play? The intrusion of the play is when Panny's mom offers to give her plastic surgery as a birthday gift. It is the point in the play where things begin to change and Panny begins to show her insecurities. For example, when she is on the phone with Hugo, she says that she isn't what he expects her to be. It shifts the focus of the play to her looks.
3. Why do the events of the play take place at this particular time and place? In other words, what is the unique factor that is out of the ordinary that causes a turn of events to take place?
The unique factor of the play is that it started out on her birthday which is the day her mother decided to offer her plastic surgery. She can finally change her looks especially in this time where girls were being murdered because of it.
4. State the dramatic question or questions that must be answered by the end of the play? (Ordinarily, the dramatic question shares a close connection with the intrusion.)
Will Panny begin to love herself just the way she is?
5. Use Panny, Isabelle, or Lefty to answer the questions concerning character. Ball says, a character is revealed by what he/she does, that is the dramatic actions that are taken. Examine what the character wants (NOTE: In Trifles the wants of Ms. Hale change as the play progresses). The wants of a character often encounter obstacles that get in the way of achieving those wants. Ball says there are 4 kinds of obstacles that frustrate the wants of a character. They are: a. Me against myself, b. Me against another individual, c. Me against society (that is law, social norms, etc.) and, d. Me against fate, the universe, natural forces, God or the gods. In answering these questions be sure to point to the particular obstacles that demonstrate these obstacles for one of the three designated characters.. Panny vs. Panny: She wants to be beautiful but she thinks she just Is NOT pretty. She cannot the way she looks (until her mom gives her the option to have a surgery) Panny vs. Kidnapper: She wants to escape the Kidnapper's grasp but she did not. She was beaten by him because of her looks. But, her looks also gave her a reason to still be alive. She was not his type of victim. Panny vs. Society: Society puts beauty if blonde, white girls that are skinny. They praise those features which makes Panny feel insecure about her Asian features. Panny vs. Fate: Panny tries to escape the beauty standards. She does not follow them but once the kidnapped carved "Ugly" into her body, she fell into the trap and did the surgery. It was fate that she would suffer from the beauty standards held in society.
6. The most important information in most plays takes place during theatrical moments. In your estimation what is the most theatrical moment in BFEand what happens during that moment which is so important to the outcome of the play? The most dramatic moment is when Panny scratches the kidnapper's eyes out. It is the moment of the play that the audience is at the edge of their seat. It tells us wether or not she survives the kidnapping.
7. Provide at least three examples of images in BFE. How does the title of the play help us understand the images in the play? (Remember Ball says that, “An image is the use of something we know that tells us something we don’t know.” He goes on to say that images invoke and expand, rather than define and limit.” 1. The first image that stood out in the play was the walkman the kidnapper stole. Nobody really notices that he did it, Panny almost misses him steal him. This shows that this man in sneaky and good at keeping himself out of the public eye. 2. The second image is the telephone. The telephone is the direct way all the characters talk to the outside world. 3. The third image in the play is the plastic surgery itself. It is obvious that plastic surgery is going to change her features, but it really changes herself to be on society's standards of beauty. It is the gateway to "beauty" and shows the extremes people will go to feel a sense of belonging in the community.
8. Ordinarily, there are many themes in most plays. List the themes in BFE. family, beauty standards, Korean society, American society, kidnapping, pedophilia, interracial relationships, plastic surgery, diversity,
9. Most American plays have something to do with family and/or family relationships. What does family have to do with BFE? Is family redefined in BFE and if so, in what ways? Family is definitely redefined in BFE. Panny lives with her mother and her uncle because her father is not in her life. Instead of going to her mother for advice, Panny goes to Lefty. The mother and daughter relationship is nonexistent which is not the usual family structure.
Panny is the main character and the play is set in the nineties. It may be set in Arizona, but there is no clear indication of the location. The opening scene describes this town that has been going through multiple kidnappings of young blonde girls. Panny lives with her mom and uncle.
2. What is the intrusion that causes the stasis to be broken and the dramatic action to develop, often at an increasingly rapid pace, to the end of the play?
The intrusion of the play is when Panny's mom offers to give her plastic surgery as a birthday gift. It is the point in the play where things begin to change and Panny begins to show her insecurities. For example, when she is on the phone with Hugo, she says that she isn't what he expects her to be. It shifts the focus of the play to her looks.
3. Why do the events of the play take place at this particular time and place? In other words, what is the unique factor that is out of the ordinary that causes a turn of events to take place?
The unique factor of the play is that it started out on her birthday which is the day her mother decided to offer her plastic surgery. She can finally change her looks especially in this time where girls were being murdered because of it.
4. State the dramatic question or questions that must be answered by the end of the play? (Ordinarily, the dramatic question shares a close connection with the intrusion.)
Will Panny begin to love herself just the way she is?
5. Use Panny, Isabelle, or Lefty to answer the questions concerning character. Ball says, a character is revealed by what he/she does, that is the dramatic actions that are taken. Examine what the character wants (NOTE: In Trifles the wants of Ms. Hale change as the play progresses). The wants of a character often encounter obstacles that get in the way of achieving those wants. Ball says there are 4 kinds of obstacles that frustrate the wants of a character. They are: a. Me against myself, b. Me against another individual, c. Me against society (that is law, social norms, etc.) and, d. Me against fate, the universe, natural forces, God or the gods. In answering these questions be sure to point to the particular obstacles that demonstrate these obstacles for one of the three designated characters..
Panny vs. Panny: She wants to be beautiful but she thinks she just Is NOT pretty. She cannot the way she looks (until her mom gives her the option to have a surgery)
Panny vs. Kidnapper: She wants to escape the Kidnapper's grasp but she did not. She was beaten by him because of her looks. But, her looks also gave her a reason to still be alive. She was not his type of victim.
Panny vs. Society: Society puts beauty if blonde, white girls that are skinny. They praise those features which makes Panny feel insecure about her Asian features.
Panny vs. Fate: Panny tries to escape the beauty standards. She does not follow them but once the kidnapped carved "Ugly" into her body, she fell into the trap and did the surgery. It was fate that she would suffer from the beauty standards held in society.
6. The most important information in most plays takes place during theatrical moments. In your estimation what is the most theatrical moment in BFEand what happens during that moment which is so important to the outcome of the play?
The most dramatic moment is when Panny scratches the kidnapper's eyes out. It is the moment of the play that the audience is at the edge of their seat. It tells us wether or not she survives the kidnapping.
7. Provide at least three examples of images in BFE. How does the title of the play help us understand the images in the play? (Remember Ball says that, “An image is the use of something we know that tells us something we don’t know.” He goes on to say that images invoke and expand, rather than define and limit.”
1. The first image that stood out in the play was the walkman the kidnapper stole. Nobody really notices that he did it, Panny almost misses him steal him. This shows that this man in sneaky and good at keeping himself out of the public eye.
2. The second image is the telephone. The telephone is the direct way all the characters talk to the outside world.
3. The third image in the play is the plastic surgery itself. It is obvious that plastic surgery is going to change her features, but it really changes herself to be on society's standards of beauty. It is the gateway to "beauty" and shows the extremes people will go to feel a sense of belonging in the community.
8. Ordinarily, there are many themes in most plays. List the themes in BFE.
family, beauty standards, Korean society, American society, kidnapping, pedophilia, interracial relationships, plastic surgery, diversity,
9. Most American plays have something to do with family and/or family relationships. What does family have to do with BFE? Is family redefined in BFE and if so, in what ways?
Family is definitely redefined in BFE. Panny lives with her mother and her uncle because her father is not in her life. Instead of going to her mother for advice, Panny goes to Lefty. The mother and daughter relationship is nonexistent which is not the usual family structure.